Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-01
A DINNER AT DELMONlCO'S.
Four or Five Dinners Given Every Nigh
During the Winter Season.


happened TO 90 into Delmonioo's the
other day in order to find out what kind
of dinner one could get for s. or $40
plate The party was to be one of a
dozen gentlemen, and after satisfying
myself that for $40 plate there would he
quite enough to eat and to drink to make
every one of the party remember the din
ner for at least week, fell into CONVEX
sation with the steward of the hoVse as
TO the number of dinners of this kind
which his establishment furnishes. II
will amaze most people to know that it is
the exception during the winter season
when there are not four or five private
dinner parties given every night in the
upstairs room at Delmonico's, at prices
ranging all the way from $6 TO $50 plate.
The larger the party the more reasonable
the term. The average price is about $S,
which includes three or four kinds of
wines and cigars There have been din
ners that cost more than $50 plate, but
the money vas spent upon elaborate pres
ents to be put at each plate instead of
upon delicacies of the season, or rather
not of the season, for the aim at such din
ners is to astOnish the guests by setting
before them things that they rarely see in
every day life.
The Delmonico steward is something of
a genius in the way of running up the
cost of dinner without endangering the
life of the diner, but even he is sometimes
at the end of his resources and has to be
helped along by his guests. 1t is told that
one evening he was Mortified at tremen-
dous crash Of glassware and china in one
of the rooms, and rushed up expecting to
find that some of the young men at select
party. of twenty had been murdered. In
stead of this it was only q little amuse-
ment at the expense of the glassware and
the young fool who gave the dinner; the
bill had proved so nsignifcant-only
about $50 q plate-that all the glassware
had been smashed in order TO bring it
up to respectable figure. In confidence
the steward informs me that, as a matter
of fact, one gets quite as god dinner
for $40 as for $50, for that the very num-
bcr of dishes offered to the guests at the
most reckless of these entertainments pre-
vents anything like true appreciation of
their merits
The Chamber of Commerce gives a
yearly dinner, for which it pays $50 a
plate, but the instructions are that the
quality rather than quantity shall be con-
sdered, and there is no better dinner than
that which the Chamber offers its guests.
just at present the season for these little
dinner parties has reached its height, be
fore the ball season begins, and there is
considerable rivalry between Delmonico's,
the Hoffman house and the Hotel Bruins
wick as to which one shall receive the
cream of this business. For very large
dinners the first named seems to have the
preference, but for dinners of less than a
hundred covers the other houses are sharp
competitors. For 80 plate | was
offered the following dinner, given in a
luxurious private parlor and with every
possible elegance of service: Oysters,
soup, pates. salmon, lamb, vegetables of
several kinds roast beef, chops, French
peas, water ice punch, red head duck,
salads. ices, fruit, coffee and the follow
ing wines for fourteen persons. Seven
bottles of Sauterne, two bottles Of sherry,
six bottles of Bordeaux, eight bottles Of
champagne. six bottles of Apollinsris
water and liqueurs-in all thirty bottles
New York Cor. Brooklyn Eagle.